Ottawa

'Potent' weekend ice storm expected across eastern Ontario

Environment Canada said Wednesday afternoon its forecasters are increasingly confident a "widespread, prolonged freezing rain event" would arrive late Friday.

Area between Kingston and Parry Sound could be hit hardest

A man with an umbrella walks down the middle of a road between two trees that have fallen on the road.
A pedestrian walks between tree branches that snapped during a 2023 ice storm in Ottawa. Environment Canada has issued a special weather advisory for all of eastern Ontario, noting a 'potent' spring ice storm could arrive Friday night. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Eastern Ontario could be hit with a "potent" spring ice storm lasting from late Friday night into early next week, Environment Canada says.

The agency issued a special weather statement Wednesday afternoon for the entire region, noting they were increasingly confident of a "widespread, prolonged freezing rain event."

Most areas could be hit by between five and 15 millimetres of freezing rain, Environment Canada said. Some could see more than 20 millimetres.

"The swath of maximum ice accretion is still uncertain at this point, but confidence is highest for areas of central and eastern Ontario between Parry Sound and Kingston," their advisory said.

"Warnings will be issued as the event draws nearer."

Snow becomes more of a factor around the Ottawa River, with five to 15 centimetres also possible around Ottawa and "significant snowfall" in western Quebec.

Forecasters say it should get slippery outside and tree branches could break as ice builds up, putting utilities such as electricity at risk.

Organizations such as Emergency Management Ontario have advice on how to prepare for and manage power outagesCBC Lite is a low-bandwidth version of this website to help stay informed.

The weather would likely improve by Monday, Environment Canada said, and there could be a break in the precipitation late Saturday.

Ottawa's current forecast calls for snow to begin falling Friday night into Saturday and then freezing rain or rain on Sunday. Weekend daytime and Sunday night temperatures are expected to hover around the freezing mark.